Kennon Road

When you travel to Baguio from Manila ( or any city or town from the South or Central Luzon ) - you have two choices of roads to take to the City of Pines.  One of the roads is Marcos Highway ( but in maps you may actually see this as the Aspiras-Palispis Hightway ).  The other is Kennon Road.

When the weather is fair - we prefer taking Kennon road.  It's a shorter road compared to Marcos.  Moreover - Buses and Huge Trucks are not allowed on this road.   The added bonus is the fact that it's a more picturesque drive up.

On the fork between Marcos and Kennon - you take the road on the right.   Pretty soon you will be greeted by this arch signifying you are entering the Benguet province.

Look to your right side to see the mountains of the Cordilleras.  You will see a lot of green.  In fact one of my friends say that driving to Kennon reminds him of the scenes in Blue Lagoon.  I told him - that there are portions of Kennon where I actually expect King Kong to come out from around the bend.

This is a familiar sight in the Philippines.  The trusted Jeepney carrying goods between provinces where it's packed to the brim.  Passengers end up riding on the estribo ( hanging on for dear life ).

Some parts of the mountains already have very thinning vegetation.   You hear stories from locals indicating that in the past all of these were green - or sometimes yellow - which are the sunflower blooms which the city of Baguio is known for.

This is one of the better bridges that you will use on your way up ( or down if you're coming from Baguio ).  Lots of them - and most of them were originally built by the Americans pre-WW2.

During the rainy season - we don't pass through Kennon because the waters tend to erode some rocks ( some might be small but still deadly ).   It is also common to see some of these rock walls transformed into water falls.

You will see some towns along the road.  Some of them were actually miner towns - since there were mines ( and there still are mines ) in this region.  The Spanish were actually hoping they would get gold in the Philippines - they never did.   The Americans found gold in the Mountain Province.

A famous landmark - the Lion's Head.  When you see this - you know you are near your destination.

Some vegetables getting delivered to Baguio.  Not all vegetables grow in Baguio.  Its temperate weather is not good for tropical vegetables.  

When we drive up - and I look up - I feel that heaven is a lot closer.

My Flash Jacket

Orange.  I love orange.  I love the bright color and I know that it does wonders to my complexion when I wear it.  This is why among all of the jackets in the DC Comics shop - I chose to buy the Flash' jacket.

This year - because of the arctic vortex - we are experiencing colder than usual temperature here in Baguio.  Our low last night was 9 deg. C.  In my house - according to the thermometer it was 11 deg. C.  Typically our low is 14 deg.  So - we really feel the difference.  I've even worn a sweater in bed - and I had to double my blanket.

So this jacket is perfect for this weather.  It's really warm.  It's thicker than my other jackets.

BTW - let me just tell you that I'm not a big fan of the Flash.  I don't hate him --- but I don't really know much about him.  All I know is that he's part of the Justice League --- but other than that --- I never read any of his comic books.  I remember there was a short lived TV show in the past - but I didn't watch it.

Speaking of flash --- I ask you my dear readers,  if you had super power speed - what will you do with it?   Me?  I'll most probably use it to see the world.   Imagine getting to different places without boarding an airplane or a ship or a train or a car.  The first country I will visit?  I think it will be Greece.   I want to see the city of Athens.

I still have one more post on the goodies I got from the DC Comics shop from the Pavilion mall in KL --- I'm saving the best for last.

Brita at Camp John Hay

Brita the German Shorthaired Pointer is a rare breed in this part of the world.  This is why people sometimes get confused when they see her.  They are wondering if she's a mix of lab and dalmatian.  Or maybe - she's a mini greyhound.  Whatever they think of her breed - everyone thinks she's a beautiful dog.

Last Christmas - since I had long breaks from work - I was able to take the dogs to outings around Baguio.  Brita and I typically go to the Teacher's Camp - but I thought I'd give her a treat and take her to the Starbucks at Camp John Hay.  She was very excited - but I realized that she has a little bit of separation anxiety.  I left her for a bit at the shed near the store - as I grabbed my drink and she kept barking.  Being a hound - she can be loud.

Brita is the biggest of my dogs.   It's not easy to control her - especially since she has not been through the same training as Midori and Char Siew.  She likes jumping on me - and admittedly - I like it when she does that - but not when I am in my work clothes and she has dirty paws from being outside the garden.

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I like this next photo - it shows you how big she is.  When she wants to lick my face she will use my chest or my arms as leverage so she can jump up and reach it.  It's an adorable gesture - but others who see it think that she's going to attack me.

Here's her photo at the shed.  It's where some of the Starbucks folks take a break - and when I left Brita with him - I just reminded him not to touch her.  It seems like they're ok ignoring each other.